1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a terminal device for a vehicle AC generator and, more specifically, to a structure of the terminal device in a regulator assembly for the vehicle AC generator in which connector connecting terminals (external connector terminals) which correspond respectively to vehicle side connectors having various number of external connecting terminals and having various orientations and shapes, and a generator-controlling common connecting terminal (common base terminal group) are integrally molded.
2. Description of the Related Art
An example of the terminal device for a vehicle AC generator in the related art in which the connector connecting terminals which corresponds to the vehicle side connectors (hereinafter, referred to as external connector terminals) and a control connecting terminal which corresponds to the contents of control of the generator (hereinafter, referred to as common base terminal group) are integrally molded is disclosed in JP-A-11-113208 (hereinafter referred to as Patent Document 1).
In JP-A-2004-248354 (hereinafter, referred to as Patent Document 2) discloses a terminal device for a vehicle AC generator including a plurality of individual connectors (external connector terminals) having different shape for the connection with an external circuit and a common connector (common base terminal group) having terminals for connecting the regulator with internal circuits such as a rectifier device or a rotor, and using the same common connector and changing the individual connectors according to the required specification thereby being compatible to various vehicle AC generators.
However, in the device disclosed in Patent Document 1, the three external connector terminals for the connection (external connector terminals) with the external devices are configured integrally with the common base terminal group, and hence cannot be replaced. Therefore, the device is not adaptable to a type having the external connector terminals for the connection with the external device oriented in the different directions, or having the different number of terminals, so that it is inevitable to change on the brush holder basis. Therefore, it cannot be adapted flexibly to the applications of various types of eternal connector terminals, which is required by car manufacturers.
In the device disclosed in Patent Document 2, there are problems such that (1) since a plurality of terminals which abut against each other are joined by soldering or welding for electrically connecting the common connector (common base terminal group) and the individual connectors (external connector terminals), processes which require fine and reliable operations in a relatively small space abruptly increase, and hence the manufacturing cost increases accordingly;
(2) since a connector case is configured by fitting a case of the common connector and the case of the individual connectors to each other, the configuration of the connector case is complicated, which results in high cost; and
(3) it is necessary to secure insulation between adjacent terminal pairs by coating the pairs of common connector and the individual connectors with insulating resin or by fitting a molded cap formed by insulating member, which results in further increase in number of processes and increase in cost.